Something went wrong with my XP install

M

Metspitzer

I keep a 40G partition for Windows so when my niece and nephew or I
screw something up, I just reinstall.

I ran the XP disk. I deleted the partition and formatted it. XP
installed but the 40M partition is not C drive.

http://i.imgur.com/S7BEQ.jpg
 
C

Char Jackson

I keep a 40G partition for Windows so when my niece and nephew or I
screw something up, I just reinstall.

I ran the XP disk. I deleted the partition and formatted it. XP
installed but the 40M partition is not C drive.

http://i.imgur.com/S7BEQ.jpg

That 2TB drive is really carved up. You remind me of myself, up to
about 8 years ago.

As for your XP installation, I don't think you should have any
problems, right? If it was me, rather than installing fresh from the
XP media every time, I'd just make an image of a working system and
then restore that image when necessary. I think that would be faster
and easier than reinstalling from scratch.
 
M

Metspitzer

That 2TB drive is really carved up. You remind me of myself, up to
about 8 years ago.

As for your XP installation, I don't think you should have any
problems, right? If it was me, rather than installing fresh from the
XP media every time, I'd just make an image of a working system and
then restore that image when necessary. I think that would be faster
and easier than reinstalling from scratch.

it seems to be working, but the (boot) is on the 40G partition and the
(System) is on the 420G partition.

Won't there be a problem when I install something?
 
C

Char Jackson

it seems to be working, but the (boot) is on the 40G partition and the
(System) is on the 420G partition.

Won't there be a problem when I install something?

I don't expect any problems except for one: the human factor. Windows
doesn't care about drive letters, but sometimes us humans do. Until
your next install, you just have to get used to having Windows on the
E: drive.
 
P

Paul

Char said:
I don't expect any problems except for one: the human factor. Windows
doesn't care about drive letters, but sometimes us humans do. Until
your next install, you just have to get used to having Windows on the
E: drive.

This sounds a lot like what happened to me, when doing a Win2K + Win2K
dual boot on the same drive. Second OS relied on the first, for the
files used to boot. And the system drive letter ends up being "E:".

Note that the Microsoft terminology is reversed. "(System)" holds
the boot files. While "(Boot)" holds the vast majority of the C: files.
A single partition can perform both roles at the same time. But
if circumstances permit, the installer is allowed to split them.

Looking at the picture, it may have spotted

1) Boot flag on the 426.70GB partition.
2) Files like boot.ini on the 426.70GB partition, implying
support for booting. The installer, can simply add a line
to the boot.ini, to add the "new OS".

Also, note how E: is a logical. Which is a way of saying
"and no, you can't move the boot.ini over here". The Windows boot
loading process, expects the boot flag to be on the partition with
the bootable files. I don't think it makes sense, to set the
boot flag on an Extended with Logicals. (Note that Linux has no
restrictions on installing the OS on logicals. It doesn't even need
the boot flag to be set. It's the MBR code, that decides these things.)

If I was attempting to fix it, I would.

1) Boot a maintenance OS (or connect the disk needing maintenance, to
another computer temporarily).
2) Delete E;, the failed install. (You can't really do that, unless
you're using some other OS to do it, or connect the drive to another
computer to clean it up.) Remove Extended partition and logical partition.
3) Remove the boot flag from the 426.70 GB partition. You can do
that with PTEDIT32.exe . Or via Linux LiveCD and "sudo fdisk" type command.
4) If the "BBC_docs" implies the 426.70GB is not a system partition,
remove the system-like files (old copy of pagefile, hiberfil, boot.ini
and so on, all the cruft put at the root level for an OS install). That's
to reduce the odds the Windows installer will misinterpret what it's seeing.
5) Using PTEDIT32, move the 426.70 GB partition table entry, to the
second line in the partition table. This leaves room in the first line,
to define the "fresh install" partition.
6) Add a partition, FAT32 or NTFS, for a new "left-most" partition for
Disk 0. Verify, with PTEDIT, it's the first entry in the table.
Preferably, the entries in the partition table, should be in spatial order.
It makes it easier for humans to understand the set up later. (I had a
machine with the entries in the wrong order, and it used to drive me nuts,
when I had to fix something, and the entries didn't make sense. And I had
to keep telling myself, which was which. Making them in spatial order
now, pays dividends later when you're in a panic.)
7) When the install starts, tell it to use that new "left-most" partition
for the space it needs. The purpose of making that partition first, is
to raise the odds it becomes "C:".

The purpose of that, is so the next install attempt, doesn't do the same thing :)

Just some ideas,
Paul
 
G

glee

Metspitzer said:
it seems to be working, but the (boot) is on the 40G partition and the
(System) is on the 420G partition.

Won't there be a problem when I install something?


Your 40GB drive assigned E: is a Logical drive on an Extended partition,
while the BBC Docs partition assigned C: is a Primary partition. You
installed XP to the Logical drive on the extended partition.... that's
fine but while Windows runs fine from a Logical drive, it cannot
natively boot from a Logical drive, only a Primary drive, so the
installer put the boot-loading files on the Primary partition you have
labeled BBC Docs.

The first Primary partition on the first hard drive, which holds the
boot-loading files and is marked Active, gets assigned the letter C: A
Logical drive cannot natively be marked Active by the Windows installer.

The partition with the boot-loading files is listed by Disk Management
as (System), while the partition with the rest of Windows on it is
listed as (Boot). This is counter-intuitive but that's the nomenclature
Microsoft chose to use.

If you wanted the 40GB partition to be C:, you should have made it a
Primary partition instead of a Logical drive on and Extended partition.

As far as installing programs in XP, they will go on the E: drive, which
is the XP System drive, unless you choose a Custom install and
specifically tell an installer to use a directory on a different drive.
Only the boot-loading files are on C:
 

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